luster 2015

Aaron Nagel’s “Luster” is an eerie and striking painting, crafted with oil paint. The painting has a photographic quality and is executed with smooth, almost invisible brushwork. The surface is so polished that you feel like you could run your hand across it without disturbing a single grain. Look at the gradations of light on her skin, the way Nagel models the form with subtle shifts in tone. It’s the kind of painting that whispers, not shouts. But then, there are her hands! Coated in gold. This simple move brings everything else into question. Is she a modern-day Midas? Or is it a metaphor for something else entirely? Maybe a warning about the allure and danger of beauty? It reminds me of Odd Nerdrum's uncanny figures, existing just slightly outside of time. It’s a painting that invites you to pause and consider, not just what you see, but what you feel. And that's what good art should do, right?